Denture



NOV. 10, 1931. W. J, PRYOR A 1,831,606

DENTURE Filed Feb. 24, 1930 /4 fr@ ,QA/E V5.

APatented Nov. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT clerics g 'WALTERL PRYOR, OF LAKEWOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 HOOVER lo` STRONG, INC., 0F *Y BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION DENTURE Application led February 24, 1930. Serial No. 430,655.

a shoulder or dam for the vulcanite or other artificial gum material, in order to avoid having a feather edge of vulcanite orgum material at the junction with the metal base, along the inwardly facing wall of the artificia-l gum.

Attempts have been made to avoid such feather edges by providing a shoulder or dam on the plate, such as by soldering to the metal base plate a round wire and flushing solder into the groove between the wire and plate in order to provide a proper and smooth slope between the vulcanite or gum material and the base. Attempts also have been made to provide such a shoulder by securing a strip of ordinary sheet metal along one of its edges to the plate, the free edge of the sheet being bent away from the base to form a flange which serves as the shoulder or dam for the vulcanite. Such metal strips tend to warp when soldered to the base and either the lower edge of the flange sheet must be ground or beveled off, or solder must be flushed along the edge to provide a smooth surface.

In grinding off the abrupt edge of the sheet metal dam or strip, the grinding produces a very thin knife edge which often is a ragged edge. When such a denture is used, wearing of the vulcanite or gum material or the dissolving of the same during use while in the mouth, results in exposure of the ragged edge, which irritates the tongue of the wearer. Where solder is used to flush the abrupt shoulders or surfaces, or in flushing thepspace between the wire and the base, considerable solder was exposed, and since solder is less noble than the material used for the base, it is not usually matched with the base as to color and is more susceptible to tarnishing and corrosion.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved artificial denture which will be free of abrupt shoulders or ragged, thin, fragile edges at the junction between the articial gum material and the base, with which the artificial gum merges into the base surfaceby smooth gradual surfaces, with which practically no material surface area of solder will be exposed, with which chipping ofthe artificialgum along its inner edge on the lingual side will be eliminated, and which will be relatively simple, strong, durable,v attractiveiniappearance and inexpensive.

A further object of the 'invention is. to provide an `improved wire for use in making artificial dentures. Y

Another object of the invention is to lprovide an improved method of making articial dentures which will be relatively simple, easi ly carried out without elaborate apparatus, and which ywill produce a very strong and durable denture.

Other objects and advantages will appear from thefollowing description of an embodi-v ment of the invention, and an explanation of the method, and the novel features will be particularly'pointed out hereinafter in con nection with the appended claims.

Inthe accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective of an artificial-denture constructed in accordance with this-invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation through a i portion of apparatus thatmay be utilized in the practice of the method, and illustrating one step in the method; i

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the base plate of metal justbefore the vulcanite is applied;

, Fig. 4 is a `perspective of a transverse sec,-`

tion of a'portion of the same;

Fig. 5 is a perspective of a portion of a strip of trihedral wire on an enlarged scale; F ig. 6 is a similar perspective of the same of a scale approximating actual size; and Fig.` 7 is a perspective similar to Fig. .4 but illustrating the artificial gum as applied thereto.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a metal base plate 1 is provided in the usual manner, and may beV cast or made of sheet metal which is of the proper size and shape and swaged to the proper configuration or form over a suitable matrix or stone cast 2, (Fig. 2) as usual heretofore. A plate so preparedis illustrated in perspective in Fig 3.

The marginal port-ion of such a plate has a convex ridge 3, more or less Ushaped along its length, and an artificial gnm l is mounted upon this ridge, as shown in Fig. 7.

To provide a shoulder or dam for the artiiicial gum or vulcanite alongfthe vinner slope of said ridge, use is made of a trihedral Wire 5 instead of the rounded Wire or flatstrips of sheet metal heretofore employed. Such a trihedral strip 5 is illustrated'in Figs. 5jandv 6. Two of the faces a and bof such a strip'- are preferably broader than the third face c. and each of the relatively broad faces a` and b,

is provided with a shallowchannel .running-f;

endivise of the strip, which channel is concave in transverse cross sectionfromedge to edge.; "This: Wire strip is madevof .a-'durable` metal-'or alloy, such as the metalof which the basep-lateiismade, themetal-or alloy adopted being one which is swageabie or ductile. f

A strip 'of lthe trihedr-al Wire 5 is bent to lie alongf-the inwardly- Vfacingslope' of the ridge 3 on the lingual side or face of the'=f plate, as shown in Figs. 3' and 4.V Oneof the broad-faces, such-as b, lies-fiatfagainst the Whilein thisl position, in any` suitable mannersuchas by tacking-the'wire strip to the base plate at intervals by solder. Y- Y The platelWithithe-trihedral'Wire strip 5 mounted thereon in .this .manner is then'- placed over thematrimcase or die-2in a press;

such-,as shown-in Fig.' 2, and the Atrihedral-Y Wire-then swaged'against the surface of they ridge, against which it abuts, so as to conform thereto'y throughout its length.- In one press found suitable forthis purpose, the matrix` 2 is disposed in a chamber', and a body 7-of plastic material, such as softrubber,`is disposed .on the upper or exposed surface of the plate.- Pressure may be exerted on the softv rubber body 7 to force it againstthis'denture plate, in any desiredmanner, lsuch as by piss:

tons 8 and 9. ,Y

ln `order to prevent the 'plastic' material from` Working underthe trihedral Wire dur ing this-operation', .a sheetl() of thin,readily iiex'ible metal maybe placedk over the trih.edral wire andagainst the upper face of the plate l, as shown in Fig. 2. Such a thin metal sheetconforms'to the irregularities in the object over= which; it is placed, and Y When' pressure is exerted' against thetrihedraliwire:

in the press, thisiprotecting sheetil() will i'it closely against the surface: of theplate k1,: and;

keep lthe ysoftl .rubberr or plastic lmaterial out rubber, is sufficient to swage the ductile trihed dral Wire completely against the surface of the ridge 3 and provide a close contact between the edges of the face Z) and the surface of the plate against Which it fits.

The plate, ivith :attached trihedrai Wire, is l `-then=removedfronr thezipress and solder fioivedbetueen the trihedral Wire and the ridge 8 to provide a permanent attachment betweenthe 'Wire'andthe plate. lt will be fla-A noted that because of the sivaging of the Wire against the surface of the plate, there Will be very little exposed solder, the solder flowing between the Wire andtheiplate by capillary attraction.

.Y 8o The artificialnguinwl is thennnoldedor formed upontheridge asy usual heretofore,

and such 1an alrtificialgum abuts againstthe relatively narrow faceI cgof the Wire,.Which,

is thelupslope-faceofthewvire.r The trihedrai S5 Wire thus `forms a smoothcontinuingsurface; between theinWard-lywfacing surface of the .l artificial I-gum 4 andthe-lingual face of the. plate l'. i

By using the ti'ihedi'al Wire, the edgesiare U easily sivaged into-close Contact. Withulthe.

base, especially Where they concave, shallow. w channels are provided on lthe .broaderv faces 1 of thevivirev- The concave-'surface or face a; of the tiihedral Wire, Which is exposed on :the W lingua-l side of the base, pi'ovides very. smooth and gradualconnecting surfacebetween the vulcanite andthe base, Withoutv abrupt' junctions or angleswivhere the: ina- 1 terials oin. Y lt ivill` also be notedthat there l.

are-no thinlor feather edges-{of the vulcanite exposed-Aalongthe junctioiiof the base, and, f therefore,- there ivillbe little-dangerfof chipping or disintegration# of the artificial gum aloiigits junction with the baserplate during les use lof the denture.

The' only-solderexpesed or appearing will be as a minutely finefline atthejunction ofthe f Y trihedral Wire and the base aft-er `theidenture hasrbeen` completed, andsiiclra fine line ort' 1.1m

soldeiis unobject-ionable. yThev solder which-,2 appears at the- -junctionof the trihedral Wire and-the base-en the buccai side is unoojece* tionable because i-t is covered Withthe viil-v canite er other artificial gum material when y,

the artificial gum el is applied to the base, and.

'will net be exposed in the :finished denture.,v

The trihedral wire permits-of considerable grind-ing, if necessarj after the Wire has been attached without veXp osing any great `vquan-l if desired, the plate forming the baseef thedenturemay be of castmetal as Well as a 1;; i 'sivaged plate, and the triliedral Wire may be applied to theplate or baseivhetheiicast or A.sivaged, .by means other thanA soldering, such from beneath-the Wire. The pressure on the.; trihedral Wire, transmitted VJthrough the soft as bf snot-Welding or the base r)late-nia i be 5 i o? l 1,ss1,coe

the base plate, the wire may be spot welded to the base at intervals along its length as temporary attaching means, and then after the swaging of the wire to the base plate, the wire may be permanentiy attached to the base plate by further spot welding or by soldering, as may be desired. Spot welding is especially advantageous to attach'the wire when stainless steel is used as the material of.

the plate or wire. It will be understood that by the term metal as herein used, I refer not only to the metals themselves, but also to suitable alloys of metals.

It has been found to be easier to swage the wire in place and solder or otherwise attach it in this manner than to flush a round wire with solder, and then grind away and polish the excess solder. It has also been found easier to `swage the trihedral wire into the desired shape than the sheet metal, and the trihedral wire being narrow, has less tendency to warp during soldering.

Trihedral wire may be obtained by rolling or drawing and may be used for any type of denture having a metallic base, whereas the sheet metal doubler must be cut especially from a sheet of denture metal or alioy with the consequent loss of material from the scrap of ythe cut sheets. The sheet metal doubler must also be trimmed and ground, whereas the trihedral wire usually requires no trimming or grinding.

It will be obvious that various changesiin the details which have been hereindescribed and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Claims:

l. A base plate for an articial denture comprising a base of sheet metal having the desired size and form, and a trihedral wire strip disposed along the artificial gumline,

lia-se and another face forming a shoulder or dam for the artificial gum material.

2. In an artificial denture, a plate of sheet metal having the desired shape and form,

c an artificial gum secured to a peripheral portion 'of the plate, and a strip of trihedral metal wire attached to ciaid plate along an edge of said gum material and forming a dam for such material.

3. An artificial denture comprising a metal base having the desired size and forni, a quantity of artificial gum material secured to the peripheral portion of said base and forming an artificial gum extending from one face of said base along a portion of its periphery, and a trihedral metallic Wire, with two relatively broad faces and a relatively narrow face, running along one periphery of said gum, with one of said broad faces fitted aga-inst and attached to said plate and the relatively narrow face abutting the :gum to form a shoulder therefor, whereby the other broad face of said wire forms a smooth con# tinuation between the surfaces of said gum and said plate.

4. An artificial denture comprising a metal base having the desired size and form, a quantity of artificial gum material secured to the peripheral portion of said base and forming an artificial gum extending from one face of said base along a portion of its periphery, and a trihedral metallic Wire, with tworelatively broad faces and a relatively narrow face, running along one periphery of said gum, with one of `said broad faces fitted against andattached to said plate and the relatively narrow face abutting the gum to form a. shoulder therefor, whereby the other broad face of said wire forms a smooth con tinuation between the surfaces of said gum and said plate, said relatively broad faces being concave in transverse cross section with material attached to the convex ridge and Y abutting said shoulder so as to form an artificial gum onV said base with the trihedral wire joining the inner face of said gum smoothly with the face of said base.V

6. In the art of artificial dentures, a trihedral wire strip of denture metal, one of the faces of said wire having a shallow groove running lengthwise of the wire and concave in transverse cross section.`

7 In the art of artificial dentures, a tri hedral wire strip of denture metal, two adjacent faces being relatively broad with red spect to the third face, and the two broad faces having shallow channels running in directions lengthwise thereof, and concavein transverse cross section from edge to edge.

8. An artificial denture comprising a base of denturek metal having suitable size and form, with a convex ridge extending along tures Which- :ciom'prifses forming a; metall baser n" of the desired shape .and c.oniguration,.with I a convex'ridgeextendingalongrthe peripherefv al portiono tlfieibaseon thelingaail'side, t-r ting a. triliedral Wire along the `inner slopeI of sa-idfrdge with one face of the Wire abutting theinner slope of saidridge, temporarily attaching. said Wire to said ridge at intervals to. prevent" displacement, placing; saidplateon affdie, 'placing a .tliinplate of swage-l able4 metal'over the lingual's-ide'oi said'base,

applyinglpressure to the superposed plate andbase along the Wire`,tlirough theinedi-wY mn of plasticmiaterial'o =sWagel the :Wire

firmly against the .inner slope 0f Sad ridge removing saidwplateof thinfnietal, flowing A solderbetween the abuttin-gfaces of the Wire and :ridge to permanently unite them, and

mounting an :artificial gum Ion saidwrdge .1

andiztbutting the upslope face of said Wire.'

l0. The methodzof making.artlli'cial.den-v tures` Which comprlsesorining a metal base ot the desired shape and configuration, it-

ting a metal strip along said base', temporarily attaching saidstrip to saidbase at inter-AY` vals to prevent'its displacement, placing said plate-ony affdie, placingathinplate of sWageable metal'overthe base Vand strip, applying a plasticnraterial under pressure to said thin plate'and'base to sWage-.tlie strip firmly to said lease, reino-ving said=tl1i1rplate', iowing 1 solder 1oet-Ween"the .strip 'and base, and I then mountingfan. artificial gumfon said base and y abutting-'one edge of said stri WALTER PRYOR. 

